Hyperbole
by SkinnyLittleLesbian
Summary: In which Regina kidnaps Emma multiple times in order to spend time together.
1. Chapter 1

Emma slammed her palms down onto the table – the table she was incredibly glad existed between her and the irritating brunette sitting with excellent poise across from her. The loud noise drew the attention and murmurings of the other patrons of Granny's, and Emma ducked her head.

"How could you ever think I'd want to spend quality time with you?"

Regina unfolded her hands for a moment, just long enough to warm them on the coffee mug sitting before her. Emma's earlier violence had caused just a drop of the hot liquid to slosh over the edge and she dabbed it gently with her forefinger. Emma watched, slightly stunned, as that fingertip disappeared into Regina's mouth.

"It's simple, my dear." Regina released her finger from her mouth and leaned forward. Her voice lowered. "You may think you're subtle, but you're about as covert as a Leroy after three beers."

"That's not true."

"Which part are you purporting to contest?"

Emma felt the nearly overwhelming urge to pout like a child, but wanted to give Regina nothing more to taunt her about. She instead picked up her napkin roll and yanked out the fork and knife. She tapped them against each other.

"All of it. What are you saying I'm being sneaky about?"

"Leave it you, Miss Swan, to lower the ambient intelligence level of a conversation. Regardless, I've seen the way you look at me when you think nobody is watching you."

Though the statement wasn't entirely true, Regina was rewarded by a rich flushing of Emma's cheeks. This had been a gambit, really. Her desire for the blonde had been mortifying at first – as was any emotion she felt – but after spending weeks brooding, sulking, and eventually accepting, Regina decided that she would treat Emma as she would any other conquest. No person was unattainable to the queen, and Regina was going to capitalize on that. But due to the circumstances, this might take some finesse.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Say yes."

"No."

Regina sat silently and stiffly, waiting for the blonde to break first. It was bound to happen. The brunette had a poker face that could fool even the best liar, and Emma was eternally the product of all that was good and pure. The blonde couldn't lie for long.

"Fine. I'll admit it." Emma spat out. She disliked this brutish approach to her emotions, which were hard enough to deal with before Regina pounced upon her. "I'd date you if you were the last person on Earth."

"I was never one for hyperbole. But, if that is the case, I suppose that can be arranged."

Emma tried to leap up but couldn't move. It was as if her jeans had been super-glued to the booth when she wasn't looking. She turned an angry glare towards Regina until her vision whited out.

0-0-0

"Wake up." Regina brusquely tapped Emma's cheeks with her finger tips. Should that fail, she was fully prepared to use her palm and more force.

Emma's eye sluggishly opened. "Whatjuudo?"

"Now, now, Miss Swan. That's hardly proper grammar. That's hardly English, in fact."

"What. Did. You. Do?"

"I merely tapped your cheeks."

Emma sat up suddenly and fought the tunneling of her vision. "No. What happened? Last thing I remember…?"

"Oh that." Regina offered Emma her hand, but Emma stood defiantly by herself. Regina withdrew her hand daintily. "You said you'd date me if I was the last person on Earth. So I made it happen."

"What the fuck, Regina!" Emma finally got a good look at the diner around them. It was empty, though it looked as though everyone had been there only moments ago. The food on the tables around them was still hot. "It's like you have the impulse control of a toddler! Make them come back!"

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Emma grabbed Regina's shoulders and shook her.

"I had no idea you were into the rougher side of affection." Regina purposely ignored Emma's question. "If that is something you'd like to explore, I'd be more than happy to…"

"Haha," Emma interrupted. "Very funny. You've had your joke. You've made your point. Now fix it."

"Everyone is perfectly safe, Miss Swan, so I suggest you take your panic down several notches to a more acceptable level."

"What about Henry?" Emma smiled widely, assuming her victory. "You can't just banish him just like that."

"My dear, Henry is fine. While we have departed from their plane of existence, they remain in a stasis. When we return, it will feel as though mere seconds have transpired and that we were never gone." Regina's gaze hardened. "So you may dither here as long as you want – but let me be clear, Miss Swan. I will have my time with you, no matter how long it takes."

A ripple of fear bounced across Emma's face. Her lips trembled a moment, then firmed with resolution. "You can't do anything to hurt me. I'll tell as soon as we go home."

"First of all, what would be the point in hurting you? I wouldn't have wasted the energy bringing us here if that was my intent. Second, are we seven year olds? You may tell on me, as you put it, but you will be hard pressed to prove that anything occurred."

Regina's words calmed Emma's nerves, though not for the reason Regina assumed. Emma heard no denial and was comforted by the idea that this would be over, sooner or later. She could return to her home, complete with her new mother, father, son, ex-lover, ex-lover's father… She grimaced. Perhaps hiding out on another plane of existence for a short while wouldn't be as bad as initially expected.

"What do you want from me?"

"Your company."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else unwillingly given." Regina allowed.

Emma glanced around the empty diner and sighed. "Alright. What did you have in mind?"

0-0-0

Despite her misgivings about the whole situation, Emma couldn't complain when Regina led her through town and to the docks. Empty boats bobbed in the water and not even seagulls cried overhead. It was all at once eerie and comfortable. It was difficult, Emma thought, to be alone when you were the savior of an entire town. There was always someone asking for her time, or cloying for her good graces.

"I come here to think." Regina's voice roused her from her thoughts. "Henry thought his castle was hidden from me, but I always knew about it."

Emma followed Regina's gaze across the harbor and noted where the wooden structure used to stand. "He thinks he gets a lot past you, but I somehow doubt that's the case."

"I like to let him think so." Regina sat, patting the open bench-space beside her. "Sit, dear."

In for a dime, in for a dollar, Emma thought. Not one to do anything halfway, she boldly plopped down next to the queen and crossed her ankles. Regina did nothing to hide the victorious smirk that overtook her features. It had only been a matter of time, she knew, until Emma rose to the challenge.

"So… what exactly does spending time with you mean?"

Had Regina been of lesser upbringing she would have rolled her eyes openly; instead she gazed out at the water and snorted derisively. "Tell me, Miss Swan, how is living with your devoted parents going?"

"This? This is what you dragged me to another dimension for?"

"Answer the question."

Emma kicked back and rubbed her face with one hand. The other gripped the edge of the bench. "I can't complain."

"Ah, but you can. Here, nobody can hear you but me."

There was either an ominous or a sultry overtone to that comment, and Emma tried to keep her thoughts from drifting in either direction. It would be terribly easy for Regina to kill her here, and nobody would be the wiser. And – well – she just didn't want to think of the sanguine woman in any way other than former enemy and part-time mother of their mutual child. Especially in a way that involved no clothing. Emma's grip on the bench intensified.

"I don't understand your game here, Madam Mayor."

"Please, dear, call me Regina."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Either way, I don't get what you're doing."

"You so rarely do."

"You isolate me to check in on my mental and emotional health?"

"Perhaps I simply want to make sure Storybrooke's most recent magic user is in a stable place." Regina coaxed. She had never met a woman quite like Emma, who was resistant to any and all overt acts of kindness. To be fair, the situation was suspicious in origin, but Regina's motives were fairly decent. That didn't change the fact that Emma was paranoid about offers of friendship. Regina had read Emma's file. "Indulge me."

"Indulge me and take me home."

"That wasn't what you agreed to."

A sinking sense of unavoidability settled over Emma. She pawed at her face again, so Regina grabbed her hand and cradled it. The physical connection confused Emma, but more so than that, it soothed her.

"It's a bit maddening." She admitted slowly. "Snow means well, but… Well. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." When Regina didn't speak again, Emma figured she might as well elaborate. "She wants to know where I'm going every time I go outside. If its anywhere other than work, she wants to come along."

"She's trying to make up for lost time." Regina's grip on Emma's hand tightened for second. Though Emma refrained as of late from accusing Regina directly for her less than stellar childhood, the brunette felt at least partially responsible.

"Sometimes it's too much."

"She is."

"And Charming isn't much better. He asks where I've been whenever I come home. I can't come or go without some sort of interrogation. And when he's not worrying over where I've been, he's treating Henry like the son he never had. Which, believe me, is bothersome. Henry already has parents."

"I hadn't realized Neal was such an active… father."

"Neal." Emma snorted. "I was referring to you."

"Oh."

"And when they're not talking about how to get back to the Enchanted Forest, they're asking me if I'd be upset if they had another kid some day. Like I'm supposed to care if they have a kid."

"You don't?"

"Well, I mean I sort of do. But it's not like I want them parenting me." Emma stopped short and turned a curious gaze towards Regina's stoic mien. "Is this some sort of trap? You get me talking and then later you use this information against them?"

"I think that's enough for today." Regina snapped her fingers. Emma blinked and found herself back in the diner, Regina gathering her belongings across from her. "We will have to do that again soon, dear."

Emma sputtered a moment and though she railed against the thought, she couldn't help but wish that they were still all alone in a world just for them.


	2. Chapter 2

"So you're really okay with it?" Snow clung to Emma's elbow. "Truly?"

"Yeah." Emma tugged free, but Snow was a magnet and snapped against her again. "Do whatever you want."

"We won't do anything you don't want us to, Emma. You're our daughter first."

"Yeah, and I'm fully grown. You missed out on the joys of changing diapers and squalling cries at three in the morning. If you want that torture, go for it." Emma's smile was genuine. She couldn't stand in the way of her parents finding their happy ending. Snow's worried forehead suggested that she didn't believe the authenticity of Emma's sentiment.

"I wish I had gone with you."

Emma tried once again to free herself, this time successfully. "Go on, then. Get pregnant."

Snow leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Emma."

"Yeah."

"Emma."

Emma sighed and turned, recognizing Neal's rasp and already dreading the coming conversation. For a man with a fiancée, he was sure keen on spending time with her. "What's up?"

"I'll leave you two alone." Snow winked as she left and Emma grimaced – real helpful Mom, she thought.

"I was wondering if you, me, and Henry could get some lunch at Granny's."

"Is Tamara busy?"

"Yeah."

"Uh…" Emma searched her brain for an excuse. "I can't think of a reason why we can't do that."

"Great." Neal pounced past her. "I'll go get the kid."

0-0-0

As they walked down the street, no less than six people with disparate problems approached her. Most were courteous in asking for her assistance and played to her ego, but a few acted as if this was her God-given duty and that it would be an offense if she didn't resolve their issues. She wasn't sure which bothered her more.

"Wow, Emma, you're such a great hero." Henry kicked a pebble and stared up at her, his features practically blasting her with admiration.

"I'm not a hero, Henry."

"Yes you are." He slipped his small hand into hers.

"I've done some bad things, kid."

"So? You saved every one. You're good."

"Sure, kid." She didn't have it in her to fight him further. According to Henry, the status quo would always be in place and the role each person was assigned was preordained. The weight this put on her shoulders was entirely ineffable.

It was none too soon when they entered the diner – and suddenly Emma regretted agreeing to this meal. The patrons chorused various greetings to them and several approached to shake her hand. Emma thought back to her last meal here two weeks ago. Perhaps it was Regina's presence that had bought her some privacy.

They took a seat in a booth, but Emma excused herself to the bathroom. There, at least, nobody could accost her. She sat on the toilet for a minute to get her bearings. It was harder to deal with the daily demands of life after having spent an afternoon alone with Regina. It was odd wrapping her head around the idea that the Evil Queen was the only person in an entire town who wanted nothing more from her than her company.

"You can come out now, dear."

Emma flinched as she hadn't heard anyone enter the bathroom. She relaxed upon recognizing both the voice and sharp black heels pointed under the stall door. She stood up and opened the door. Regina stepped back to allow Emma space.

"Saving someone from a clogged toilet?"

Emma laughed, louder than she meant to. "No, just saving myself, I guess."

"Perhaps I can help."

'Thanks, but a murderous rampage wouldn't do much more than cause everyone to demand your head on a pike."

"Is that their newest idea?"

"No. Last I heard the dwarves were trying to get everyone to agree to drown you in the harbor."

Regina smiled. "Witches float."

"Isn't that just a myth?"

"Care to find out?"

"What?" Emma felt queer. Her stomach roiled, but she couldn't move her feet. She was prepared this time when her vision went.

0-0-0

Regina leaned against the sink and waited for Emma to come to. She let her eyes rove Emma's prone form shamelessly. Yes, she thought, Emma would certainly keep her busy. Emma shifted, waking slowly, and Regina was treated to a glimpse of the blonde's stomach.

"Shall we?" This time when Regina offered Emma a hand up, Emma accepted.

"You have to stop kidnapping me." Emma sighed. Her tone suggested that contrary to her words, she was grateful for the reprieve.

"Perhaps."

"Are we going back to the harbor?"

"Indeed."

"You never answered me last time. Why are you doing this? Helping me?"

"I have very little left, Miss Swan. You have my son. I have therefore decided to allow myself small indulgences in the things I want."

"You want me?"

"You are the least despicable option available." Regina enjoyed the look of fury that pushed Emma's eyebrows up and in, and Emma's nostrils to flare. "Also, I will admit that I find your company far from repulsive."

"You can't just be complimentary, can you?"

Regina guided them back to the same bench as before and was pleased that Emma didn't fight her. "How is Henry doing? Is he happy?"

"I can tell sometimes that he misses you but doesn't feel like he can talk about it."

"How do you know?" There was a startled panic in Regina's voice that was quickly tamed and locked away. "Has he said something?"

"No, but I can tell when a kid wants his mom. Even when he thinks it's impossible to see her."

Regina wondered just how much of Emma's childhood had been spent with such a look on her face. "Ah."

"But then he gets distracted. There's so much newness now, with all the magic and sword fighting lessons and so on." Emma sighed. "But I can hear him crying sometimes at night. I asked him about it and he gave me your politician's smile."

"Perhaps – I could see him sometime."

"I'd like that." Emma coughed. "I mean, he'd like that."

"Perhaps lunch later this week?"

"Is this what you're after?"

"To what are you referring?"

"Everybody wants something from me." Emma accused. She examined the dark browns of Regina's eyes, wondering if she was about to hear the truth or another carefully calculated lie.

"I do want something from you, but I will not take it, nor will I make you feel obligated to give it to me."

"Henry?"

"You." Regina delighted in the reddening skin peeking out from Emma's tank top. Emma's blushes started at her chest and traveled up her neck to her cheek. It was amusing to watch. "I realize this is awfully forward, but you asked."

"What was Henry like as a baby?"

"He was monstrous. He cried a lot and rarely slept for more than an hour at a time for the first year and a half of his life. I loved him from the moment I saw him, but I was at the end of my rope as a single working mother." Regina leaned back against the bench. "But just when I was on the verge of killing someone, he'd smile this perfect little pudgy smile."

"I guess anyone from the Charming family line was bound to annoy you to some extent."

"He got away with everything with that smile. When he was three, he broke my favorite mirror. I don't know how he even got up onto my dresser."

"It's in his blood to go where he's not supposed to."

"I couldn't even be angry with him. He just grinned at me and I knew I could forgive him anything."

Emma smiled. "I'm glad I didn't birth an angel. That would have been too much to bear."

"It's your smile." Regina commented, her eyes tracing the gentle arch of Emma's lips. "He got it from you."

"I wish I'd known that earlier." Emma neatly sidestepped the growing tension between them. "I could have gotten away with so much more."

"Shall we test if witches float?"

Before Emma could respond, Regina was up and clambering gracefully between the railings. Sprinting over, Emma just missed grabbing the back of Regina's blouse as the brunette plunged down into the harbor.

"Regina!" Emma gripped the railing tightly and scanned the water for any sign of the other woman surfacing. After a moment, she bent over and pulled her shoes off. Shedding her red jacket, she scrambled to the edge and jumped in as well. Once in the water, she dove down several times, searching for Regina amongst the murky harbor plants.

On her third go, she spotted Regina lounging against the harbor wall, a bubble of air around her head and a smirk on her lips. Emma swam to the surface and dragged herself to the railing again. She pulled herself out of the water feeling like a scraggly cat.

"You don't always have to save people, Emma." Regina popped up behind her. She had rid herself of the air bubble on the way up, so that she would look as bedraggled as Emma. She wouldn't want Emma feeling self-conscious.

"Yes I do."

"No, you don't." Regina insisted. She slid lithely up next to Emma and pushed sopping strands of blonde hair from Emma's face. Emma's scouring of her figure was blatant. "You control your destiny, Miss Swan. No one else."

Emma leaned in, her body moving of its own accord. She was scant centimeters from Regina's lips when the brunette snapped and they were suddenly back in the bathroom, dry and feet apart. Emma reached out to Regina, but the other woman was already in motion. After a moment, Emma returned to the booth where her son and Neal were waiting.

0-0-0

Sleep that night was not forthcoming. Emma clutched her comforter and stared up at the ceiling, willing her eyes to just close and stay closed. There was a cobweb in the corner. She grunted and rolled onto her side.

It wasn't fair. Regina shouldn't be able to kidnap her whenever the queen saw fit – and then return her at the drop of a hat. Like nothing had happened. The almost kiss was replaying over and over in Emma's mind. It wasn't the cause of her insomnia, or so she told herself, but it was more fun to think about than all the problems in her life.

She heard quiet voices coming from the floor beneath her. She could just imagine her parents celebrating her blessing of their next child. Her next thought was that they should install a door of some sort so Snow's bed wasn't in the living room. She didn't want to walk downstairs in the morning and find them in a state of undress.

As sleep finally started taking hold, she wondered what it would be like to wake up to find Regina in a state of undress. It wouldn't be so bad, she thought, to have that. She slept.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina stood in the main hallway of her home, her hands akimbo and her eyes closed. She was listening to the horrible pervasive silence. Finally, unable to take it any longer, she walked to the kitchen, purposely stepping on creaky floorboards. With her eyes closed, she could pretend the noise was Henry scampering around, as if he hadn't abandoned her.

The days between her visits with Emma were filled mostly with reading. She buried herself in her personal library and was only disturbed by hunger and the occasional rowdy citizen. But if she didn't answer her door, the rabble-rouser generally lost steam after a dozen minutes of shouting curses at her silent home. The first time it happened, she'd wanted to kill the protester - but Henry's disapproving face in her mind had stayed her hand.

Honestly she was surprised that more didn't show up. She was, after all, the most likely of scapegoats. She may have caused the initial transplant from the Enchanted Forest to Maine, but she wasn't responsible for the problems the people caused themselves from that point forward. Yet when problems arose, it was her blood they demanded.

She leaned against her kitchen counter and tried to decide what to make for dinner. Though she was always alone for meals, she saw no reason to stop eating healthily. Sometimes when she wasn't paying close enough attention, she would set a second place at the dinner table.

Her refrigerator was nearing empty. Despite her attempts at making her supplies last, not even she could avoid going to the grocery store, no more than she could avoid the suspicious looks when she stepped foot outside. People never stared when she was with Emma, which was one of the myriad reasons Regina sought her out from time to time.

She almost couldn't place what the noise was when someone came politely knocking on her front door. The next sound was unmistakable – the knocking turned to frantic pounding. Although she was immensely pleased to see through her peephole Storybrooke's most in demand Sheriff huffing and puffing on her porch, Regina schooled her features into a less than bemused look and opened the door.

"Miss Swan, what on Earth are you doing? Has Henry been hurt?"

Emma put her hand on the door frame and leaned the entirety of her weight on it. "I'm sorry. Please. Can I?"

"I suppose I cannot stop you."

Both women knew this to be a fallacy, but neither chose to comment. Emma merely stepped gratefully past Regina and stood awkwardly in the hall. At Regina's expectant look, Emma kicked off her boots, but left them strewn about. Regina decided this slight was forgivable given that Emma was the first non-homicidal visitor she had received in close to two months.

"Henry?"

"He's fine."

"Then what are you doing here?"

For a moment, Regina couldn't read the expression on Emma's face. She was used to Emma being an open book - the woman could no more hide her thoughts than Snow White could keep a secret. That moment made Regina nervous, until it passed and Emma was once more accessible.

"Take me there."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm asking you to kidnap me."

"What's the occasion?"

"Come on, Regina. You do it all the time. Well, twice, but still. You do it whenever you want. Why not when I want?"

"Because, my dear, that would not count as kidnapping. I'm fairly sure consent negates the requirements."

Emma stomped her foot, ever an overgrown child. "Please!"

"Miss Swan, the goal of making myself the last person on the planet was to force you to spend time in my presence. Apparently I no longer need to use such drastic measures to get the same result."

"Fine. I'll leave and never come back."

Regina trailed her fingers down the side of Emma's arm and shook her head. "Your attempts at manipulations, while cute, are ineffective. My taking you there has nothing to do with your pleading."

"You—" The rest of Emma's sentence fell off as her stomach trembled and her eyes closed.

0-0-0

When she opened them again Regina was watching her closely, her face a stone wall. The intensity of Regina's gaze made Emma wonder if she had mis-buttoned her shirt that morning, or if there was something on her face. As covertly as possible, she glanced down her body and checked that she was indeed dressed properly.

"Is everything alright?"

Emma smiled with embarrassment. "Yes…"

"Expecting something to be missing?"

"No."

"Shall we go to the harbor?"

The image of Regina dripping wet and so close to her lips made Emma flinch. "Can we stay here?"

Regina wanted to argue, to ask why the flustered blonde had insisted on another plane of existence if all she wanted to do was sit with Regina in Regina's own house – but the question wouldn't do anything except fluster Emma further. Instead she bowed her head and gestured for Emma to move deeper into the house.

"Why are you here?" The question had yet to truly be answered, and Regina wasn't going to let Emma slip away. Emma's nose scrunched as she took a seat on the couch, while Regina leaned against her desk. "Come now, it can't be that hard to say."

"Do you ever just want to snap? Wait – that was a dumb question." Emma laughed. The sound was strained, as if her windpipe wanted to take the noise back in. "You're you."

"I do not snap, Miss Swan. Have you ever seen me snap?"

"Well…" Emma closed her eyes and thought through their history. "…You brought me here?"

"An action well planned and executed. No, Miss Swan, I never snap."

"How do you do it?"

Regina fought the urge to fiddle with the tchotchkes on her desk. She was never one for fidgeting, though the impulse grew in accordance with the amount of time spent in Emma's presence.

"I file away the hurt."

Emma's mind flashed to an image of Regina, her smile faltering just a half step and her eyes losing focus. She'd seen the look many times, but it was often cast aside quickly as Regina threw her defenses back up.

"I push it down until I can use it later. Rage in a moment is ephemeral." Regina continued. "It's but a tiny grain of sand. But if you hold onto it, eventually you have a beach."

Emma stared down at her hands and flexed them. She could feel Regina's eyes on her and did her best to sort through her thoughts before speaking. It was never easy to do. While she had certainly matured much faster than her peers in some regards, she had never developed the skills for relating to others, and it was difficult to learn after twenty eight years of keeping to herself.

"I want to shake everyone. They think I'm this glorious savior made up of sugar, spice, and everything nice. But I still make mistakes, y'know? I don't do everything right. I barely do anything without messing up. Snow just looks at me and tells me that she's sure I meant well." Emma snorted, but Regina didn't hear any humor. "What if I didn't? What if I really was just acting selfishly and it backfired on everyone around me?"

"Did something happen?"

"I told them I wanted Henry to move back in with you." At Regina's stunned silence, Emma glanced up and quickly away again. "According to my parents, I mean well, but that's a terrible idea. What can you give him that they can't?"

"This was a selfish act?"

"You've – you've been really helping me, Regina. Whether you wanted to or not. Maybe you were just kidnapping me before to bother me, or maybe you did know what you were doing."

"I am aware that the expectations of others make living your own life difficult." Regina eased off her desk and joined Emma on the couch. "Impossible, at times."

"Having Henry move back would make you happy." Emma muttered, the sides of her mouth barely moving. "You deserve that. And maybe if you were happy, you'd keep helping me."

"Oh?"

"And you told me that you're not just using me to get to Henry. That made it a lot easier to think about him coming home."

Home. Regina couldn't stop the small smile twitching at her lips at the thought that Henry might still consider this empty mausoleum of a house home. "I'd help you regardless."

"Right. Because you want me."

Hearing the derision in Emma's tone, and correctly identifying the source, Regina leaned closer. "I didn't let you kiss me."

"No, you didn't."

"It wasn't the right time."

"Uh-huh." Emma remained where she was, with Regina infringing on her personal space. Her heart struggled to keep a steady beat. "I know you're not after Henry, but I haven't quite figured out what you want from me. But – it doesn't really matter."

"Why not?"

The slight husk in Regina's voice sent a shiver down Emma's spine. She scooted closer. "Because no matter what you want, you're the only person in this town who just treats me like Emma. Not like a long-lost daughter, or the savior, but a… friend."

It was a bold statement, as neither had yet acknowledged the growing camaraderie betwixt them. Emma shifted slightly, discomfort making itself known in the lines on her face. Every moment that Regina was silent was a moment that Emma spent doubting. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and Regina's eyes caught every motion.

"Say something!"

"I'm waiting."

"For what?"

"If you want to kiss me, dear, then kiss me."

"So now it's okay?"

"If you'd rather I transported us back to reality, by all means, question my method." Regina's voice snapped from tender to pithy in an instant, and was the only prodding Emma needed to lunge forward.

The kiss was sloppy, driven by spontaneous lust, but Regina found it quite satisfactory. The weeks of waiting, of baiting Emma and teasing her with flirtatious words and near misses, were definitely coming to fruition. She opened her lips willingly to Emma's persistent tongue and bit down as it slipped into her mouth. Emma's groan started deep in the blonde's belly and Regina could feel it more than hear it. As Emma explored her mouth, Regina's fingers tiptoed along Emma's sides and dipped down to cup her groin. The heat she found there was just as alluring as the moan her fingers elicited.

"Is this what you want?" Regina tensed her hand.

The noise Emma made in response was one that Regina had never heard before. Emma took a shaky breath. "Yes."

"The couch simply will not do. Come along."

0-0-0

Regina leaned back against her headboard and cocked one eyebrow. It took Emma more time than Regina liked to enter the master bedroom, but the brunette was willing to make allowances. After all, it wasn't every day that one was invited into a more intimate setting with the queen. But Regina's patience didn't last long. As soon as Emma was at the foot of the bed, Regina issued her first command.

"Strip."

Emma felt a little comical as she stumbled over her pants in her haste to kick them off. She tugged her tank top up and over her head, and wasted no time divesting herself of undergarments. Standing there naked in front of Regina and completely on display made her twinge pleasantly. She was fairly certain the brunette could see her chest popping out each time her heart thudded, as if she were an old style cartoon.

"Come here."

"Bossy."

"I am the queen, my dear."

Emma smirked and strutted to the side of the bed where Regina languished. The way Regina's eyes scanned up and down her body gave her a boost of confidence, though it had been some time since someone had seen her naked. When Regina hummed a note of satisfaction under her breath, Emma crawled as gracefully as she could onto the comforter. She needed no command to peel Regina's clothes off.

"What do you want?"

"You." Regina responded, mirroring her earlier answer, and smiled.

Emma figured that over the years, Regina had probably uttered thousands of magic words – conjuring that, stealing this, making other things go up in a poof of purple smoke – but nothing could compare to that particular magic word, and it most certainly was a love spell.

She moved slowly and with great purpose down Regina's body, her fingers pausing to map the lines and dips of each area before darting onward. She made stops in the curve of Regina's neck, the small valley of her clavicle, the gentle bumps of Regina's ribs - her fingers tiny tourists in a wonderful foreign land.

She was gratified to hear a loud hiss from the woman trapped beneath her when her fingernail grazed a hardening nipple. Wanting to hear more, she grazed her teeth over and lapped at the quivering skin. She then proceeded quickly to pay due attention to the other side. Regina slid her fingers into Emma's hair, tangling and tugging and holding Emma where she was needed.

Emma allowed it briefly. She could stay where she was for days, but there was a more pressing spot she wished to investigate. Using her thigh, she bumped against it and Regina immediately pushed her south. Bossy, Emma thought to herself, with no small amount of humor. Doing as she was bid, Emma slithered lower and placed a delicate kiss just above where Regina truly wanted her.

"Stop dallying, Miss Swan."

Feigning a grumble and a sour attitude, Emma shot a pout up at Regina, whose features softened at the look. Before she could even formulate some semblance of an apology, Emma slicked her tongue along the length of Regina's slit, and all coherent thought fled Regina's mind. All she could concentrate on was that warm, firm – talented, she was forced to admit – appendage. Her hands flopped to the bedspread and scrambled for purchase.

Emma pursued her task diligently, letting Regina's squirms guide her to the actions Regina liked best. She flicked her tongue up – Regina trembled. She darted her tongue in – Regina thrust down on her. She suckled softly – Regina sighed. As she worked, Emma felt more relaxed than she had since the curse broke. If this is what Regina wanted from her, she would have to oblige more often, Emma decided.

At one particularly deep thrust of Emma's tongue, Regina felt herself nearing the edge. Her legs trembled beside Emma's shoulders and Regina kicked a foot behind Emma's head in a silent plea for things to continue. Stopping was simply not an option. She had always climaxed silently in the past, the only sign a slight twitch of her limbs – but comparing Emma to Graham or even Leopold was impossible. Regina moaned out Emma's name.

0-0-0

The sun through the blinds woke Emma in the morning. Regina was curled up in her arms, looking much smaller than usually did, and much more vulnerable. Emma kissed the tip of her nose and shifted to get more comfortable.

"We need to go back." Regina murmured, her mouth burying against Emma's throat. "We can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"Henry."

"We could bring him here."

"He wouldn't be happy."

"Well what if I'm not happy there?"

Regina regretted leaving the warmth of Emma's arms, but it had to be done. She didn't bother covering herself when the sheet fell away from her body, but merely watched Emma. The blonde stared up at the ceiling, one hand clenched tightly on her chest.

"If it makes you happy, we can do this again." She made her offer sound more like she would be doing Emma the world's largest favor, rather than asking her back to bed. "And we can do it there."

"It's too much. I…"

"Will be fine, dear." Regina snapped her fingers.

Emma felt nauseous It was an abrupt change, going from laying down nude with a beautiful woman to standing upright, fully dressed, and too far from Regina. "Not fair."

"Staying there would be like building yourself a beach, Miss Swan." Regina guided Emma to the front door. "I would much rather you snapped and took it out on me, if last night was anything to judge your performance by."

There was a seductive purr to the words and Emma sighed. "I know you're right. But – how do you go back out there day after day, knowing that everyone thinks something about you – something you can't change?"

"You'll figure it out." Regina pushed her gently. "And if you need a reprieve..."

"Can I bring Henry by tomorrow for dinner?"

"That would be acceptable."

"And can I come for dessert?"

Regina swatted her shoulder as she finally walked out the door and back into Storybrooke. The woman was incorrigible. Regina shut the door and smiled.


End file.
